The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that OBC reservation in the State will remain at 14 per cent, rejecting the 2019 increase to 27 per cent that had remained tied up in litigation for nearly seven years.
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Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday held that OBC reservation in the State will remain at 14 per cent and rejected the demand to raise it to 27 per cent, as introduced by the 2019 amendment, while directing that the posts held back under the disputed 13 per cent be filled from the unreserved category within three months [W.P. No. 5901 of 2019 and connected matters].
The Division Bench decided the batch of petitions challenging and supporting the increase. The detailed judgment was not available at the time of writing, so the reasoning below may differ from the text of the order.
What The High Court Held
The Court rejected the plea to raise OBC reservation to 27 per cent and held that only 14 per cent reservation will remain. It found that the State could not produce sufficient data to justify 27 per cent, and that the exceptional circumstances needed to cross the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation were not proved. The Court also observed that the OBC class has adequate representation.
Direction On Held Posts
The Court directed that posts held back under the disputed 13 per cent portion be filled by unreserved-category candidates within three months. The uncertainty over the 27 per cent quota had delayed recruitment, including for teachers, State services, patwari and police posts, and the held posts may now move to the general category. It is not yet known whether the State will challenge the decision.
Arguments Before The Court
Senior Advocate Rameshwar Singh Thakur appeared for the OBC side and sought to retain 27 per cent, relying on a 555-page reply filed by the then government in October 2019, together with OBC population data. The unreserved-category side, represented by Advocate Aditya Sanghi, argued that the government had not produced quantifiable data to justify the increase, while the OBC side contended that the data and survey were properly before the Court. These were the parties’ contentions; the Court’s final reasoning is awaited from the judgment.
Background: 2019 Amendment And The Supreme Court Remand
In 2019, during the Kamal Nath government, Madhya Pradesh amended its law to raise OBC reservation in public employment from 14 per cent to 27 per cent. Challenges followed on the ground that the increase breached the 50 per cent ceiling laid down in Indra Sawhney, taking total reservation to 73 per cent when added to the existing Scheduled Caste (16 per cent), Scheduled Tribe (20 per cent) and EWS (10 per cent) quotas. The High Court stayed the increase in recruitment and the State sought vacation of the stay, citing an acute shortage of employees.
On 19 February 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe disposed of the proceedings in Yogesh Kumar Thakur v. Guru Ghasidas Sahitya Avam Sanskriti Academy (Civil Appeal Nos. 11442-11443 of 2025) and remanded the batch of challenges to the High Court. It asked the Chief Justice to constitute a special Bench to decide them within three months, expressed no view on the merits and made no interim order. The High Court heard the matter over 15 consecutive days and reserved its verdict in August.
Case Details: Writ Petition No. 5901 of 2019 and connected petitions challenging and supporting the 2019 increase of OBC reservation from 14 per cent to 27 per cent in Madhya Pradesh public employment, Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur, decision of 9 October 2026. Full list of petitioners not reported; judgment awaited.
Appearances: Senior Advocate Rameshwar Singh Thakur for the OBC side; Advocate Aditya Sanghi for the unreserved-category side. Appearances for the State not reported.